Fingering steel for guitars and similar stringed instruments



Nov. 20, 1928. v 1,691,945

J. TlMM FINGERING STEEL FOR GUITARS AND SIMILAR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed Feb. '7, 1927 Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

i g JULIUS TIMM, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FINGERING, STEELFORQGUITARS AND SIMILAR s'ramonn INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed February 7, 1927. Serial No. 156,353.

' This invention relates to fingering steels such as used by a musician in playing a uitar or similar stringed instrument to inger the same, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a fingering steel for enabling a player to play a guitar or similar instrument while standing up with the same facility as. when seated. Another object is to provide a steel which may be comfortably gripped between the fingers and readily controlled and properly posijoint may be used. In the present emboditioned on the strings of the instrument with a natural movement of the fingers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification. in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein I 'haveillustrated a selected embodiment of my invention, and'in which: 7

Fig. 1 is a plan showing the method of using my improved steel.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and I Fig. 3 is a plan section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, my improved steel comprises a body portion 5 having an angularly disposed wing 6 at one end. The wing 6 is preferably of reduced thickness as compared with the body portion 5, and is apertured as indicated at 7, to reduce its weight, and is further provided with curved end portion indicated at 8. The body portion 5 of the steel is slotted as indicated at 9 and provided with a plurality of bores indicated at 10, which intersect the slot 9. A

finger grip or thimble 11 adapted to receive the tip of a finger, is connected to the body of the steel by means of any suitable form of joint which will permit pivotal movement of the thimble about both horizontal and vertiment I provide a suitable connection by means of a bolt 12 which is rotatably disposed in one of said bores 10, andlocked against endwise movement therein by means of a nut 13 disposed in the said slot 9, and

threadedly engaging the bolt 12. The thimble is pivotally connected to the upper end of the bolt 12 by suitable means such as a rivet 14. It will be apparent that the, thimble 11 may be swung around its pivotal connection 14 with the bolt 12, and also about'the axis. of the bolt 12 in the bore 10.

The device is used by gripping the wing 6 between the second and. third fingers as near the palm of the hand as possible, and further inserting the tip of either the index or second finger in the thimble 11. As clearly indicated in Fig. 1, the neck 15 of the instrument is grasped with the thumb extending thereover and the palm of the hand thereunder so that the fingers extend upwardly and over the string side of the neck. It will thus be seen that the steel may be placed on the strings at substantially right angles to the length thereof so that they may be caused to bear against the desired fret. Because of the length of the steel, it is convenient to press all of the strings against the fret simultaneously, as frequently done in chording, and for fingering an individual string, the steel is raised slightly at its wing end and the lower front corner applied to the desired string. I prefer to'flatten this cornor as indicated at 16 to facilitate use of the device on a single string.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the arrangement including the angularly disposed wing 6, and thimble 11 facilitate holding the device in the hand with the body portion 5 disposed at an angle to the direction of the fingers whenbent into the playing position as illustrated. This arrangement therefore permits the body 5 to be placed on the neck 1.5 of the instrument at substantially right angles to the length of the strings 17 so that all of the strings maybe caused to simultaneously engage a common fret. It will be noted that if a plainsteel device such as heretofore commonly used were held between the fingers and applied to the'strings, the device wouldbe applied ata downwardly sloping angle to the length of the strings which would, of

course, result in the playing of inaccurate claims which should be construed as broadly as possible, consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a relatively long and narrow body portion, a wing extending from one end oi said body portion, and a linger grip mounted on the top of said body portion.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a relatively long and narrow body portion, a wing extending from one end of said body portion, and at an angle to the plane thereof, and a finger grip mounted on said body portion.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a relatively long and narrow body portion, a wing extending from one end of said body portion, and at an angle to the plane thereof, and a iinger grip pivotally mounted on said bony portion.

.1:. In a device of the class described the combination of a relatively long and narrow body portion, a wing extending from one end of said body portion, a post pivotally mounted on said body portion intermediate the ends of the latter and a linger grip pivotally mounted on said post.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of an elongated body portion,

end of said body portion and oilset from the plane thereof, and a linger grip mounted on said body portion intermediate the ends oi the latter.

7. In a device for lingering a guitar or similar stringed instrument having a neck portion adapted to be held in the playerS hand with the hand disposed thereunder and the fingers extending upwardly and mwardly over the strings, the combination of F a body portion adapted to be held in the lingers oi the hand holding the neck of the instrument, and means including a wing part projecting from one end of said body iortion and a part connected to the latter intermediate the ends thereof for facilitating the holding of said body portion at an angle to the normal'direction of the inwardly extending portions of the fingers. JULIUS TIMM. 

